Magazine analysis

Magazine Analysis

BradEssex

BarcodeThe only reason that the barcode is there is because it has to be as it is the best place to put it in order to scan it easier, the makers have also thought about where to put it because they have made it fairly small and out of the way in variation to the other things that are surrounding the magazine.

Cover LinesThe cover line is clear and easy to see as it stands out from everything else on the magazine because it doesn’t fit into the colour scheme/theme. This Cover Line ‘Welcome To The Future’ has been placed there in a different colour to everything else to gain the readers attention and make them want to investigate and read further into the magazine.

The Main ImageThe main image will be placed so that when you see the magazine on the shelf you can see the band or artist that is on the front cover. This cover consists of ‘Skrillex’ who has a sort of menacing look on his face, many magazines will tell artist or bands to apply a certain look or pose which will make the reader almost feel like the band/artist are staring at them. In a way he also fits in with the colour scheme as he is wearing fairly minimalistic style clothing, it is also mostly black therefore fits in.

The MastheadAs soon as you see the Masthead, ‘Rocksound’ you know straight the way what the magazine will contain the reason they have placed it at the top is because when you are looking at a shelf you will be able to spot the magazine issue, it also fits in perfectly with the Black, White and Light blue colour scheme which they have also thought about.

Strap LinesStrap Lines are used to tell the audience or reader what consists inside the magazine, In this case they relate to what genre the magazine is. This link would be apparent in all types of music magazine. They are also used to entice reader to buy the magazine.

FreebiesMost magazines contain some sort of freebies such as things like posters, stickers, CD’s etc. Furthermore, some magazines even contain competitions where you can win a prize.

BannerIn this case it shows what Genre’s can be inside the magazine, this is also placed at the top with the Masthead so readers can see it.

The MastheadThe Masthead in all magazines in usually placed near the top of the front cover, this is because the audience or readers can see what's on the front cover straight the way, this magazine has a colour scheme or theme of three colours Blue, White and Pink and the title fits in perfectly as it is both White and Blue. The Masthead ‘KERRANG!’ gives the sound of a guitar being strummed, therefore you know that the magazine is going to be of a ‘Rocky’ style.

BarcodeJust like all magazines the barcode will be on the front so it makes it easier for the scanner, also they place it in a position where it is out of the way so it doesn’t take up space and get in the way of other information.

Strap LinesMost magazines have a strap line or sometimes two so that they can information the reader what is going to be inside the magazine such as Posters, Reviews, Interviews, Stickers etc. This can prove to be very useful because you will then find out if you want to buy the magazine or not. This Issue of ‘KERRANG!’ has two strap lines, one at the top and another place at the bottom. The one at the top is placed there so that you can see it on the shelf just like the Masthead.

Information/InsightThis is a good thing to include on the front of a magazine because it gets the reader involved by says ‘Mix, Match, Make Your Own Super group!’ this will make the reader or audience feel as though they are taking part in something which will make them more likely to buy the magazine.

GuidesThis is also a good thing to place on the front cover of a magazine because it entices the reader or audience and makes them want to read more, Furthermore, it contrasts with the colour scheme making it stand out.

FreebiesThis is another good aspect to have on the front cover of a magazine, because it entices the reader or audience to buy it as it is free.

The MastheadMuch like the other two the Masthead is placed at the top so that when it is placed on the shelf you will be able to see what the magazine is. The producers of the magazine have thought about the name of the Masthead ‘mixmag’ as the contents of the magazine contains a varied amount of Dance music and I suppose the name refers to a DJ. The Masthead for the magazine also fits in with the colour scheme that the makers have chose for this issue.BarcodeThe barcode on this cover looks as though it fits into the background as they are both white, therefore it doesn’t look noticeable as much as other barcodes. I think that this is a good aspect to have consisting on the front cover of a magazine, so I might take that idea and develop it. The barcode on most magazines also contains the price next to it along with what issue the magazine is.

Free CDThis is a good addition to the front cover of the magazine because it entices a reader to buy the magazine as they will see a magazine that contains something free, this magazine will have an advantage over other magazines because of this.

Guides/NewsAlike the second magazine that I did analysis on this one contains a guide, this will attract the reader’s attention and make them want to buy the magazine because it says ‘Massive Xmas and New Year’s Party Guide’ this will make readers want to read on and find out what is going on. This stands out from the colour scheme, which will also help the magazine get attention.

Cover LinesThis cover Line ‘U.S. Dubstep Explosion’ fits in nicely with the colour scheme as it is white, It has been placed there so everybody that begins to read the magazine can see it. It also makes readers want to read further into the magazine by saying ‘U.S. Dubstep Explosion!’ this gives the sentence an Onomatopoeia as Explosion sounds like the noise that comes from ‘Dubstep’.

The Main ImageThis is placed where it is because when the magazine is on a shelf the audience can see what is in the magazine making them want to pick it up if it was something that they like. Many magazines ask Artist/Bands to make a pose, but as you can see this is a cartoon of ‘Skrillex’ who is on a bomb this could symbolise the music Genre that is in the magazine

The Main ImageAs you can see ‘Skrillex’ has been placed away from all the other righting which is on the left side of the page so that the audience can see who he is, and who is behind the work that he does. I would say that he has been asked by the magazine manufacturer to do a certain pose in order to fit in with the rest of the magazine.

Lettering StyleThe lettering and paragraphing on this double page spread (DPS) is fairly standard because of the rows it has been placed into, but it begins with a large letter ‘T’ which has been given the colour red, I would say that this stands out from the rest of the page because that’s the first thing that catches your attention. Once a reader has seen this they may go on to read more about the Artist/Band.

Colour SchemeThe colour scheme for the magazine is Red, White and Grey. A lot of magazines use this colour scheme because the colours merge and fit in well together. For my magazine I shall be using a colour scheme of Black, White and Purple to make it fit in with my Genre of music.

QuotationThis quotation given by ‘Skrillex’ shows that he is determined in the work that he does, reader’s that like ‘Skrillex’ might want to then read on through the magazine about him and what he is be going to do in the future, so therefore this has been placed on the Double Page Spread to entice the audience.

Colour SchemeThe colour scheme of this magazine (Red, White and Black) is the usual colour scheme for a lot of magazines today. These colour work together to get the readers attention very well as the Red contrasts with the White as you can see with the title of this magazines Double Page Spread ‘Teen Spirit’.

QuotationThe quotation of this Double Page Spread is “I Just Love Dancing And Screaming” this gives the effect that the band are similar to the quotation and that they can make people dance and scream because of their music, this could make the reader want to read on throughout the Double Page Spread.

Paragraphing and LetteringThe style that the writing has been paragraphed is pretty normal how it has been set out into three big columns, but at the start of all the writing the manufacturer has put a large letter ‘R’ this makes the writing stand out a bit more as it has also been given the colour Red, some readers may possibly read on if they see this.

The Main ImageThe main image of this Double Page Spread shows the band, they are dressed in fairly dark clothing, I would say that they have been told to do this or have been given the costumes by the manufacturers so that they fit in with the colour scheme that the magazine has. They have also been told to do a pose and the image has been placed away from the writing.

The Main ImageThe main image portrays a band who give quite an intimidating image, this is because the camera angle that the magazine manufacturers have chosen is a low shot. The band go pretty well with the colour scheme, as you can see they are dressed in dark and dull colours such as Blacks, Whites and Greys this is because they need to fit in with the rest of the colours that are involved in this contents page which are classic ‘Q’ Magazine colours, Red, White and Black.

Colour SchemeThe colour scheme of the contents page is the same as most magazine and the same as a lot of the magazines that ‘Q’ make, the colours involved work well together and contrast perfectly that is why most magazine manufacturers use these colours.

ReviewA review is a good thing to include on the contents page as it will make the audience and readers want to read further and more deeper into the magazine to get an inside in what the band are about and what is coming up in the future that involves the band. By the side of the review there is a trademark which is in every ‘Q’ magazine containing a red box with the letter ‘Q’ inside this attracts attention, and if you’re a regular reader of ‘Q’ magazine you will know that they are placed aside something that is important such as a review. Or where it says Contents for example.

LayoutThe contents page has a fairly neat lay out with the page numbers and information on one side and then the image on the other, the page numbers are an attraction on this contents page because they have been coloured Red this makes them stand out and get the readers attention.

Colour SchemeThis Contents page has gone for a different approach on the way the colours scheme is because it has been coloured Yellow, White and Black. This gives it an edge and makes the magazine stand out to the other magazines as it contains different colours instead of the usual Red, White and Black scheme.

LayoutThe layout of the contents page has been displayed in a classic ‘KERRANG!’ style with the edgy writing and the big bold lettering that consists throughout all of their magazines and gives a good image on how they present their work, it also links in with the genre that ‘KERRANG!’ cover as there magazines are shown to give a dark and gothic display just like the bands/artists do. It has also been displayed in a fairly busy way which is ‘KERRANG’s usual style that they go about.

The Main ImageThe main image on this contents page has been placed above the writing, this is different to other contents pages as they usually have the image on the left or to the right of the page. Furthermore, The image has been placed to give it importance and dominance as it covers half of the page. The backdrop of the image is dark this could be reflecting the band and the music that they play could contain a dark or evil sound.

InformationA lot of information has been placed onto the bottom half of this contents page to give an insight to the reader/audience so they know what is in the magazine and so that they are aware of what they are going to be reading about.